Everyone Needs Someone to Care
by Bratney
Summary: A fluffy story between LeatherfacexOC. Because in the end everyone need someone that cares about them. Now finally complete! More fluffy-ness!
1. Chapter 1

Everyone Needs Somebody to Care

By: Bratney

It was overly warm in the house, like a brick oven. On top of it all, it didn't help that I was only semi-conscious as well. I could see the faces around me. People were looking at me, but it was all so blurry. Things were fading in and out of my vision and I couldn't move my head to look away.

It wasn't as if I was scared, far from it actually. I was heading out into the middle of the desert to go kill myself before my car broke down. I vaguely remember meeting up with a cop, talking about changing a flat, and the buzz of something starting up. I hadn't screamed when I was hit, and haven't screamed since.

I had been fading in and out for a couple of days, how many I couldn't say. I could hear screams, voices talking in low whispers, and sometimes I could feel something or someone touching me. It wasn't unpleasant, the touch, like someone finally cared about me.

I must have been hit pretty hard. I could tell I was covered in blood, and being able to stay conscious for no more than fifteen minutes at a time, and only seeing fuzzy shapes for most of it. A few times I'd been able to make out faces, and had given each person a 'name' of sorts.

There was 'Mama'. She was a sweet old lady who had to be the mother of at least one of the other people in the house, 'Sheriff', from what I got out of their conversations he wasn't really a sheriff, and 'Leatherface', a man who wore a mask that looked surprisingly like human flesh and always had blood stains on his clothing. There were more people in the house, people that I hadn't named yet, but their voices frequented the fuzzy parts of my days.

I tried to make my eyes focus, succeeding after a few minutes of straining against my heavy eyelids. The sight was what most people would think of as normal. A family of people was sitting around a table, eating something I couldn't place, and it irked me. Every once in a while, one of them would get up and come look at me, maybe to make sure I hadn't died yet.

"Water?" I questioned from my chair, hoping to receive some hydration.

"Thomas, go and get the girl some water," a voice said. I rolled my eyes toward the voice and placed it with a lady sitting at the end of the table.

A big guy stood up and went over to the sink; he roughly grabbed a cup and filled it with water. He brought it over to me and shoved it against my mouth, tipping it up, spilling water down my front, managing to get some in my mouth.

His hand came up and caressed the side of my face; his hand was cool to the touch and a welcome feeling against my skin. I leaned into him, closing my eyes at the contact. He jumped back, glaring at me; I guess he didn't know what I had been doing, most girls probably screamed.

I groaned as the uncomfortable heat overcame my face once again, I looked up at the man, mentally begging him to come back and touch me. He had felt good, even if his fingers were a bit dirty. He moved back toward me and placed his fingers against my face. I looked up at him and pressed my cheek closer to his hand again.

"Stop playing with the girl and get over here and eat your food," a male voice snapped, causing my human air conditioning to move back to the table. I gave the man a glare and closed my eyes, drifting off into an un-restful sleep.

It was only about twenty minutes later that I was woken once again, this time by being unceremoniously thrown over someone's shoulder. From the size and the heat of the body, I'd have to guess it was the same guy from earlier; I snuggled closer to his body as he walked up a flight of stairs. Then we went though a doorway, where he stopped and dropped me on the bed like a sack of potatoes.

I let out an 'oomph' and looked up at him.

"Am I sleeping here tonight?" I questioned, uncertain of what was going on. He gave a quick nod and sat down in a chair across the room. "Are you going to watch me all night?" I asked, positioning myself in a way that I could look back at him, he nodded again. "Don't you have your own room to sleep in?" He raised his arm and pointed at the bed I was laying in.

My eyes widened, he was giving up his bed to let me sleep in tonight. I wasn't sure why, the man obviously killed people like me just about everyday. "Don't sleep in the chair because of me!" I sat up and tried to get out of the bed, finding myself to be pushed back a couple of seconds later.

I looked up at him as he pulled his hands away and turned. "Fine, but you still should sleep in your own bed, I'll stay on this side and you can sleep on that side, deal?" He was watching me as I scooted toward the wall then moved to lie down on his 'side' of the bed, which was most of the bed. He looked uneasy; something told me he trusted me against his better judgment.

I awoke at the crack of dawn the next morning to something shaking me violently. I grumbled and looked up at the masked man above me. "Thomas, was it?" I mumbled in question. At his curt nod, I raised my eyebrow. "Doesn't anyone sleep in around here?" He shook his head and started to drag me down the stairs by my wrist.

There was that lady in the kitchen, cleaning something in the sink when I was forced into one of the chairs. Thomas sat across from me at the table and 'Mama' turned. "Do you and your pet need food?"

I gaped at her, wide-eyed. Me? A pet? "Do you have a name girl? Put your eyes back in your head and close your mouth, you're bound to catch a fly that way. My boy has taken a liking to you; he was told he could keep you as long as he wants. He's done good, he deserves for you to treat him nicely." She set a plate in front of me; I'm not a big meat eater, so I picked at the hash browns and looked up at her.

"I'm Rosalinda Gowin, but everyone just calls me Rose," I replied, finishing off my potatoes and pushing the plate away from me. I looked up at Thomas and gave him a smile; after all, he was the one who saved me.

"Nice to meet you Rose. Let's get you out of those bloody rags and into a nice dress, shall we?" Momma said, coming over to me and taking my arm. "Thomas, get to work downstairs, I'll fix up your pet nice for you."

I spent over an hour being manhandled; this included curling my brown hair so it sat up against my shoulders, putting on makeup, and making me wear a dress that looked like one my Granny would wear. After I was released, I was locked up in the bedroom. She had given me some of her books to read, and some cleaning supplies to keep me entertained until Thomas would come back in the evening.

I picked up a book, one of those sappy harlequin romance stories, and headed over to the chair to begin reading. The story was pretty interesting; the girl went to a PI to help hide her away from her ex-boyfriend. She became attracted to the PI, and they had hot, steamy sex.

I hadn't realized how late it was, but the room was getting dark when the door squeaked open. I looked up a couple minutes later to see him standing there looking at me. I smiled a bit and stood. "Your mama made me look like a doll." I twirled around, letting him examine me. "I haven't ever looked this pretty before in my life."

He, on the other hand, was soaked in blood, and it wasn't his own blood. Anyone that had bled that much would be dead. He looked like he hadn't bathed in weeks, but neither did his mama or anyone else in the house for that matter.

I moved slowly toward him, not wanting to startle him or give him cause to hurt me. I reached up, wanting to rest my hand on his face, but thought better of it when he pulled his head away, I settled on laying my hand on his chest. "You're soaked in blood, you should change into something cleaner," I said looking up at him, my eyes searching his masked face for a sign that he understood.

He nodded once and walked over to the dresser in the corner, he pulled out some fresh pants and a stained, splotchy shirt. He looked at me and I turned away, waiting until he finished getting dressed. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I turned slowly. It wasn't much of an improvement, but at least I wouldn't get blood all over me when we went to bed.

"Very handsome. Are you going to escort me to dinner?" I said, reaching out to take his hand in mine. He nodded and we walked down the stairs to the kitchen table where Mama had just finished setting down a dish. "Mama, can I just eat salad? Meat makes me sick," I asked, taking a seat next to Thomas and fiddling with my fork.

The statement was mostly true, I could eat chicken without any trouble, but I was pretty sure dinner wouldn't be anything close to chicken. Tonight they would be eating whatever had been screaming in the basement yesterday, and I definitely didn't want to eat whoever that was.

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" she asked, pulling out a head of lettuce from the fridge, and cutting off a few leaves. "We don't have anything else for a salad, Rose; you'll have to live with just lettuce leaves."

I took them and ate them hungrily, then stopped to watch everyone else eat what looked to be beef stew. I seemed to be the center of attention, everyone was looking at me, probably wondering how such and ordinary, plain girl like me caught the attention of their masked family member.

When Thomas stood, I followed, eagerly awaiting the privacy of the room. I wouldn't be alone, but it would be a whole lot better than staying under the gazes of everyone else.

I grabbed my book and snuggled into my half of the bed, wanting to see what happens to the PI and his girl next. I only planned on finishing the chapter I was on before going to sleep. I felt the bed sink down next to me, I looked up to see a masked face looking down at me. "I'm sorry, I'll finish up quickly, I promise," I said, looking down to my book. "I've only got three more pages until the end of this chapter."

He scooted closer, draping an arm over my shoulder, pulling me against him. I leaned up against him and finished my few pages before getting up to turn off the light. He pulled me up against him when I got back into bed; I sighed and lightly kissed his clothed chest, "Night Thomas."

~~**~~

The next few days went basically the same way; I'd be dragged downstairs half asleep, fed something like hash browns, given clothes to wear for the day, get my hair done, spend the rest of the day reading, then sleep cuddled up close to my big masked teddy bear.

For once in my life, I felt like someone needed me, wanted me around. Granted, he wasn't the best looking guy around, but he was a big sweetie, making sure everything he did wasn't going to hurt me.

By the time a week had rolled around, I was settled into the routine, and I needed something other than books to keep me occupied. I decided, halfway through my reading time that day that our room needed to be cleaned; there was a thick blanket of dust over the entire room.

I started with dusting the few flat surfaces in the room, which included the dresser and the small table next to the chair, and then I swept, and changed the bedding. Mama even gave me some orange peels to use as potpourri when I was finished, I don't know where she got them, but they made the room smell a whole lot better than the rancid meat smell it had before.

I got to take a bath when I was done with the cleaning too, for the first time in over a week I was truly clean. As I sat in bed, book in hand, waiting for Thomas to come take me down to dinner, I felt myself dozing off. I was exhausted from the hard work I had done and I felt comfortable and relaxed.

I felt a hand on my face and one in my hair, a much gentler wake up than I had gotten every morning up until now. I looked up and smiled, rubbing my eyes. "Dinner time?"

He nodded and pulled me out of the bed and into his arms; he had already changed into some clean clothes. I snuggled into him and sighed happily. "Come on or Mama will get mad, we can cuddle later." I stepped back and turned, heading out into the hall and down the stairs. For dinner, I ate my usual greens from the garden as the others ate what had been confirmed a couple days ago to be human body parts. At first, having my suspicions confirmed had made me sick to my stomach, I went to bed early that night, not able to look at Thomas when he came in the room. I came to terms with it quickly, when Thomas threw a fit because he didn't know why I wasn't paying attention to him.

Dinner tonight was interesting, we had visitors. They seemed to ignore me, but I was the center of conversation. The ladies didn't think I was healthy for 'the boy' and I needed to be disposed of before he got too attached. At that suggestion, Thomas grabbed me and pulled me onto his lap and glared at the women.

I laughed and placed a kiss on his chest before standing and nodding at the ladies. "I think I'm going to go up to our room, it's apparent my presence isn't wanted here." I took the steps two at a time, humming to myself as I went. I was being followed; I knew it before I took my first steps. I wasn't worried about it; I recognized the heavy footed steps and turned to face Thomas when I entered the room.

I hugged him close to me, not wanting to let go. "Thomas? You won't let them hurt me, will you?" I was pretty sure of his answer but was overwhelmed with an unknown emotion when he shook his head.

We crawled into the bed, his arms around me as usual; I whispered his name quietly and leaned up to brush my lips against his. He tensed, then relaxed, letting me kiss him before pulling away gently. It seems to me that everyone needs someone to care for them. Even lonely, depressed girls and masked killers.

_**AN: A million thanks to my first ever beta **__**xoEmalyxo! She's amazing for taking time out of her day to read this fluffy piece of stuff. This is my Holiday present from me to all my horror loving people. I hope you liked reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Leatherface doesn't get enough love.**_

_**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Leatherface or the rest of his family. But if someone wants to give me a Christmas present I'll never forget, I'd be happy to take him!**_


	2. Chapter 2

The screams from the basement floated up through the floorboards, agonizing cries cut off by the whirring of a chainsaw. Then a final ear-piercing shriek and everything would fall silent for a while. Then it would start up again, a new voice, the same screams of terror.

I huddled in the corner of the room and tried to keep my attention on the book in my hand. Too much focus on what was going on around me might lead to something I would regret later, like heading for the hills. Thomas wouldn't want me to run away, and I wouldn't want to leave him, but the shouts had burned their way into my subconscious.

True, I trusted Thomas with my entire being and Luda Mae wasn't half-bad most of the time, but the images in my mind's eye were sometimes too much to handle. Sometimes I had nightmares where the only thing in the pitch black was the screams. On those nights Thomas would usually shake me out of my slumber and stroke my cheek until I fell once again to slumber.

I unfolded myself and walked slowly down the stairs, hoping to be able to find something to focus on that would drown out the noise, Luda Mae might need help in the garden. With each step the yelling got louder and louder and this time the voice of a male.

I covered my ears and sat down on the step, shaking like a leaf. I blocked out the screams as best I could, humming loudly to myself. A voice called out to me and a hand came down to my shoulders, shaking me roughly out of the little world inside my head. I looked up to see Hoyt standing in front of me, shaking his head in disapproval of my breakdown.

"Come on girl let's get you out of the house." I took the bloody hand offered to me and followed the sheriff down the rest of the stairs, out the front door, and into the yard. Somehow he knew that the screaming bothered me, and he was getting me out of there as quick as possible.

I sighed and collapsed in the dried grass of what use to be the front lawn, looking up at Hoyt with a whole new respect, "Thanks Sheriff, I don't like the screams." He just frowned at me and sat down in the chair on the front porch, looking out at the cloudless sky.

I rolled over and basked in the heat of the day, spending hours waiting for the night to take over and Thomas to be done with what he was doing. At some point I heard Hoyt get up and go back inside, sending Luda Mae out to check on me every so often. Not that I moved very much, I liked being right here.

I must have fallen asleep in the yard, I heard a coyote howl somewhere in the distance and I woke with a start weather it was from the call of the coyote or something else I couldn't tell. The night was black around me and I could see the glow coming from the windows of the house behind me. I stood and stretched, popping my back in the process. My stomach growled and I knew it was almost dinner time.

I headed up the front steps and into the house, turning to the left to enter the kitchen. Luda Mae handed me a bowl of fruit to set on the table and smiled, "How did you like your nap Roseilinda? You were sleeping for over an hour. Thomas wanted to wake you up, but I wouldn't let him out in the yard to bug you."

I set down the fruit and shrugged, "It's nice outside, do you maybe have a pup tent that I could use for camping in the yard?" I picked out a grape and popped it in my mouth, savoring the juices with a contented smile. I sat down in my usual seat and held back a yawn, blinking away the sleep in the process.

"There might be one big enough for you and my boy around here somewhere, you'll have to ask Hoyt," She set the nights roast on the table and called into the living room that it was time for dinner. The usual flurry of activity happened as everyone made their way into the kitchen, some faster than others.

I waited for the rest of the family to sit down before bowing my head for the evening prayer. After Hoyt had said his usual thanks I turned to Thomas and smiled, "We should camp out tonight under the stars. Would you like that?"

He nodded at me and turned back to work on his food, munching away at whoever was unfortunate to be the family meal tonight. I sighed and ate my bowl of fruit, plopping grapes and cherries into my mouth without thinking about it.

"Where are you going to sleep girl? If you two sleep in the grass the coyotes will eat you alive," Monty asked looking at me from his seat across from mine. He didn't talk to me much, so I was shocked that he had addressed me.

"Hoyt?" I asked after I had stuck the last grape in my mouth, "do we have a tent around here anywhere that we could possibly use?" As Monty had so graciously pointed out I hadn't asked for our shelter yet. Yes, it was a childish request, but on a night so warm we shouldn't be sleeping inside.

"There is one in the attic," he said with a grunt, "don't go poking around up there, you're likely to get yourself killed. I'll have Thomas bring it down." He stood and put his plate in the sink before motioning for Thomas to follow him out of the room.

I helped Luda Mae clean off the table and as she set to washing dishes I was pulled outside to help set up the little pup tent. We struggled with it, Hoyt cursing up a storm at Thomas and me, throwing in words such as useless and petty. But despite all odds, and Hoyt being a hindrance more than a help, we got the tent set upright and bedding inside. It wasn't all that big, but we'd be able to at least fit inside if we got really close.

I smiled up at Thomas and crawled in, motioning for him to do the same. Hoyt rolled his eyes and walked away, muttering something about grownups acting like little kids. I giggled and made a face at his retreating back before crawling further into the tent and under the covers. Thomas joined me soon after, looking up through the mesh netting at the sparkling dots in the clear, black sky.

I snuggled into him, head rested on his chest, just content to watch the stars with him. I looked for the constellations that I knew, lifting my arm from time to time to point them out. I wasn't sure he could understand what was going on, but I know he appreciated being treated like an equal for once.

We lay there for almost an hour before either of us moved, just enjoying the comfort of being together. His arm tightened around me, his hand coming up to rest on my stomach, brushing his fingers across the exposed skin he found there. It wasn't much of a move, but it was enough to get me out of the trace like state I was in.

I rolled over and propped myself up on my elbows on his chest, looking down into the familiar masked face of my giant teddy bear. My smile widened as I scanned his face, his eyes looking me over as well. I reached down to run a finger lightly down the side of his cheek, watching his eyes brighten at my touch.

I trusted this man more than I had ever trusted anyone in my life before, except maybe my dad or my best friend Kat. I liked Thomas more than anyone I've ever known before, he never called me names and he liked me for me.

I was lost in thought, thinking back to a time and place where life had driven me over the edge of reason into the black hole Thomas and the rest of his family had pulled me out of. Daniel, my crazy ex-boyfriend, had raped my friend in the back room of our high school prom. They had both blamed me for the event, and Missy refused to talk to me afterwards.

I was snapped back to the present by a hand on my face, a worried look crossing the face of the man beneath me. "I'm sorry, I was thinking about the past," I apologized with a shrug, "bad things happened to me."

His eyes grew dark and what seemed to be a low growl escaped his throat. He moved to sit up but I stopped him with a pleading look and a hand to his chest, "It's over, I have you now, let it drop." I placed a kiss to his masked covered chin and smiled down at him.

He relaxed and wrapped his arm around my back, pulling me down closer to him. I sighed happily and ran my fingers over the hole in hi s mask, gently touching his lips with the tips of my fingers.

"Thomas?" I whispered tilting my head to the side with a quizzical look, "Can I kiss you? I mean a real kiss, not the little kisses I've been giving you for awhile now, one on the lips." He gave a slight nod and pulled me down to him, pressing his lips against mine.

I deepened the kiss into something more, something you wouldn't give to your mother. His body tightened, but once he got over the initial shock he responded as best he could. His lips were soft against mine, moving ever so slowly across my flesh.

His hand made its way up to cup my face, trying to pull me closer to him. I complied kissing him harder than before. We pulled apart, breathless, and looked at each other in shock. I was the first to break the silence with a yawn. I let out a small giggle and said, "That was good, but I think it's time to get some sleep now."

He nodded and maneuvered me into his arms the way we usually sleep, a possessive arm draped over me to make sure I stayed by his side. Not that he needed that, I would never think of leaving him.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been exactly one month to the day since I had been here at the Hewitt house. One week since the first 'official' kiss between Thomas and myself. Things were going smoothly, but nothing too exciting ever seemed to happen, I was bored and needed something to do or I was going to go mad with Cabin Fever.

I flopped down on the couch, sighing dramatically as I looked around the room. There hadn't been anyone around here in over three days and that meant just about everyone was just as bored as me, though nobody showed it as much as I did.

I twisted around on the couch and sighed noticeably once again, looking Hoyt in the eye as I did so. "Stop making those noises Woman or you'll be tonight's supper," he growled at me and left the room. He threatened me or made rude comments at least five times a day, he never went through with them though. I think he might be afraid of what Thomas would do to him if he hurt me.

I looked at the empty spot where he had been standing then over to the seat where Luda Mae was sitting doing some sort of needlework. "Hey Momma, do you know where Thomas ran off to?" I asked and twisted around so I was sitting up ladylike and proper so she would be more inclined to answer.

"My boy is around here somewhere, and don't you go bug him either," she answered looking at me through her grimy glasses, "he doesn't need you following him around everywhere; he probably doesn't like all that attention."

I nodded once, inwardly scoffing at her ignorance of our romantic situation if Luda Mae couldn't see that me and Thomas were together, I wasn't about to open my mouth and tell her. "I'm sorry Luda Mae, I should have known that," I apologized and stood from my seat, "I'm going to go for a walk, do you need anything out of the back garden?"

"Get some stuff for your dinner, I've already got ours in the oven," she said looking back down to her cloth. I nodded and headed out the front door and around the house to walk in the field toward the garden. I figured I'd get my dinner then head around the side of the house and bang on the wooden entry to Thomas' underground lair.

I let out a sharp little giggle and ran the rest of the way to the garden, stretching my legs and letting out a bunch of pent-up energy. I lapped the garden before coming to a stop in a fit of giggles, collapsing in between the two rows of corn.

I stood and grabbed one of the ears, checking it to make sure it was ripe. Then I went over and grabbed a tomato off the vine, a thought striking me, maybe I could make some tomato soup for dinner tomorrow, it was far too late tonight.

I shrugged and gathered a few more veggies before sprinting back to the house. I left the food on the counter, hurrying back outside before Luda Mae could find me and make me do something away from her 'boy'.

I was amazed at how much freedom I got here; I could go wherever as long as I told someone. Something told me that it was because of him, because Luda Mae could tell I liked being around him.

I smiled to myself and walked around to the side of the house, knocking loudly on the brown doors that lead down to the basement of the house. The one place I would never go, voluntarily. Hoyt threatened me with a hook down in that dank dungeon plenty of times, but unless he was the one dragging me down there, I wasn't going to any other way.

I stepped back as the brown door swung up and open, Thomas looking up at me with a meat cleaver in his hand. I smiled down at him and motioned for him to follow me; he set the sharp object down and pulled off his apron before he followed.

I giggled as I made my way from the house, making sure to get far enough away before stopping and turning to face Thomas. "Hiya, I was bored, so I decided to kidnap you," I said with a grin, "Momma thinks I'm out in the garden, but I wanted to be with you."

He cocked his head to the side in a mix of confusion and amusement; he stepped toward me and brought his arms around my waist, pulling me up against him. I cuddled up against him and sighed happily, "this is what I wanted."

His fingers came up and tangled in my hair; as he bent down to press his lips against mine. He had gotten so much better at this kissing thing, but I was hesitant to take it to the next level. Tongues were out of the question for now.

I broke away and rested my head on his chest, holding him as close as I could. He pulled me even tighter, placing his lips on my forehead. I giggled and pried myself away from him, running off away from him out into the middle of one of the fields.

I stopped and looked behind me; he was just standing there watching me. "Thomas, you're supposed to chase me! Like a game of tag!" I prompted with a laugh, "Come on!" With my words he came after me, chasing me around the field as I giggled.

It was late by the time we headed back to the house, hand in hand. We separated as we entered the building, both heading into the kitchen where Luda Mae was just putting dinner on the table. She looked at me disapprovingly then smiled at Thomas, "Did you have a good day son?" At his nod she sat down at her usual spot at the table and we waited for Hoyt to come in for dinner.

We ate, as per usual, nobody really saying anything, but I was getting glared at by Hoyt. When everyone had finished eating I looked at him and shrugged, "What did I do this time? And what threat are you going to fling at me now?"

"The boy was doing work that I told him to do," Hoyt spat at me, "you interrupted him and it didn't get done. You're going to pay for that, of course there's always other ways you could redeem yourself."

I didn't like the look Hoyt was giving me, and neither did Thomas for that matter. He grabbed my arm and pulled me into his lap, silently claiming ownership on me. I moved closer to his body and looked around the table; everyone was looking at Hoyt that looked even angrier than before.

"What do you want with that girl, Thomas?" Hoyt spit out, he was seething with boiling anger, "It's not like you know what you're supposed to do to a woman anyway she's useless to you!"

I buried my head in Thomas' chest, hiding away from the Sheriff who hadn't stopped leering at me in that horrid way yet. He growled lowly and tilted my head up, pressing his lips firmly against mine. I kissed back, thankful for the distraction from the tension filled room.

Someone cleared their throat, Luda Mae most likely, and we pulled apart. I turned to look at the shocked looks on the rest of their faces, a smug little smile on mine. Thomas' arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me up against his chest as we studied their reactions.

Luda Mae looked shocked, but a bit happy. Monty shrugged in our direction and wheeled himself out of the room. But Hoyt, Hoyt's reaction was amazing. His jaw hung open in surprise, eyes wide with shock.

I laughed and tilted my head to the side watching Hoyt with amusement, "You didn't think I was going to hang around here without teaching him a thing or two, did you? I am his toy; I'm teaching him how to play with me."

"I'm glad you two are getting on so well," Luda Mae said with a smile, all anger from earlier gone from her face as she looked at me with a new appreciation. She stood and started clearing the table, wordlessly dismissing us from the table.

Thomas stood, with me still wrapped in his arms and hauled me up the stairs into our bedroom. He sat me on the bed and ran his fingers through my hair, pressing his lips to my forehead. "Hey babe, don't worry about Hoyt, Ok? I'm not going to leave you for him. I'm not going to leave you at all," I said reaching up and pulling him down toward me, pressing a kiss to each side of the leather mask he was wearing, then to his lips.

He lay down next to me and pulled me up against his chest, we fell asleep nestled together soon afterward, wrapped as tightly together as we could be.

~~*~~

The next morning I woke to an empty bed, I sat up and rubbed my eyes looking down at my lap with a contented sigh. I crawled out of the bed and sat my feet on the floor, and screamed. Sitting on the chair across from me was a dead rat.

Thomas entered the room quickly and touched my face with his hand, trying to calm me down. I clung to him, embarrassed that a dead rat would scare me more than anything or anyone else in this house.

After my breathing had evened out Thomas stood and walked over to the rodent, picking it up. I hoped he would get rid of the disgusting thing, but the hope died a quick death as Thomas turned and walked toward me.

He held out the disgusting creature, with a huge grin plastered on his face, wanting me to take it from him. His eyes grew darker as I shook my head and he thrust it in my direction, wordlessly commanding me to take it. I was saved by a low chuckle coming from the door.

Hoyt stood there, a sick grin spread across his ugly mug, "Thomas, girls don't like dead things, you're scaring her, get that thing out of her face."

Dejected he dropped the gift onto the floor and turned away from me. I stood and wrapped my arms around him from behind, "Thanks for thinking about me, babe, but next time get me something sweet or flowers."

He turned and picked me up, pulling my whole body up into a kiss. I wrapped my legs around his waist, pressing up against him with a whimper. We pulled away when loud laughter echoed through the room; I blushed and looked over at Hoyt, "Are you going to help him next time?"

Hoyt shook his head and watched as Thomas lowered me to the ground, "Nope, I ain't going to help him with anything concerning you, you're going to have to teach him yourself." He walked away and I shrugged, kissing the back of Thomas' hand before going to go change into my clothes for the day and use the bathroom.

When I came back into the room Thomas was standing there, looking as though he hadn't moved one inch, though the wildflower in his hand was a dead giveaway that he had been out in the yard and came back already.

He held it out and I took it, a smile spreading over my face. I set it down on the bed and reached up to kiss him once again. Holding him close to me as I rested my head on his chest, "Thanks love, it's the best gift I've ever gotten."

He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine, running his fingers through my hair. It was a beautiful morning.

_**AN: Wow, I'm amazed that this story is getting so long. Usually I only write one page per chapter, this story on the other hand is amazingly long. I love you all for reading; you rock my fuzzy-black toe socks!**_


	4. Chapter 4

Hoyt stood in the doorway of the room I shared with Thomas, giving me a look that I hadn't seen before on his face. I couldn't quite place it, a mix between hate and worry. He was nervous about something as well; he was shifting around against the door frame as he looked at me.

Hoyt had startled me with his presence, I had been looking out the small window when he had walked up and cleared his throat. That had been about five minutes ago, he had just been looking at me since then, giving me a case of the heebie-jeebies.

Suddenly his hand shot out and something came flying through the air toward me, I let out a shriek of surprise and reached out to catch whatever it was before it hit me. I felt the cool of the metal before I looked down at my hand in shock, it was my key ring. The keys to my apartment, the keys to my parent's house, the key to my diary, and my car key sat in my hand.

I looked up at him, puzzled as to why he was giving me these back now. He shrugged and nodded at them, "We want you to leave, go home, and forget about this place. Most of all we want you to forget about Thomas."

I shook my head, looking at him wide-eyed, "Sheriff Hoyt, even if I did leave now, I would never be able to forget Thomas! He's the macaroni to my cheese, the peanut-butter to my jelly, the Hoops to my Yoyo! I love him Hoyt, you don't forget love." I looked back down to my keys, the pull of my house calling to me, the life I left behind only a few weeks ago.

He glared at me and grabbed my arm, "You're leaving, go tell everyone goodbye, then get in that ugly old car of yours and go back to that big city of yours." He pulled me down the stairs by the arm and shoved me into the living room, where the rest of the family was sitting.

Immediately Thomas stood and wrapped his arms around me, his lips crashed down on mine, and I hungrily took what I could from him. It seemed that Luda Mae had told him what was happening, because he was reluctant to stop.

I pulled away and turned to face the rest of the room, a tear running down my face as I nestled back against the solid body of the man I loved. "I don't understand why you're doing this, but I guess I have to go," I said holding back my sobs, "Bye Momma, Sheriff, Monty."

I turned back to Thomas and reached up to give him another kiss, this time hesitantly sliding my tongue past his lips, running it along his ever so gently. I could feel him tense up, not knowing what to do. I pulled away slowly and looked up at him; a hurt and lost look met my gaze and broke my heart. "I love you Thomas, don't forget that, and don't forget me," I whispered turning away before he could see my heart breaking, before I could watch his heart break.

I left then, walked out of the familiar feeling of being home out to my car, and got in. I turned the key in the ignition, taking a couple of seconds to look up at the big house that so easily became home over the last few weeks.

~~*~~

I reached my apartment a couple of hours later, stuck the key in the door and looked around the room that was so familiar yet so alien. I sat my bag of stuff on the couch and went into the bathroom to take a shower, trying to wash away the pain and tears of the day.

The apartment was quiet, no buzzing and no screams. I felt restless, not knowing what to do with myself. The bed felt empty, and my veggie burgers tasted like stale bread. I felt completely useless, and didn't know how to negate that feeling.

I was slowly going crazy and I had only been in the room a little over an hour. I needed the body of my love next to me, the low chatter of the family to consume me. I made myself a cup of tea and sat down on the couch, drifting into my thoughts then slowly into unconsciousness.

It was the sun streaming into the windows across my face that woke me up the next morning. I sat up on the couch and looked around the room before standing and stretching. It was that moment, that one little stretch that made up my mind.

I was going back, I was going back to my Thomas and there was nothing Luda Mae and Sheriff Hoyt could do about it. I needed him in my life, and I'm pretty sure he needed me too. We were two halves to the same whole, and to be whole we needed each other.

It didn't take very long to pack all the clothes I had in my room, nor did it take very long to load my two year supply of bath soaps and feminine hygiene items into the back of my car. None of the furniture in the apartment was legally mine so I could leave that there without worrying.

I stopped twice on my way back to the Hewitt farm, the first at my favorite vegetarian food store. I bought two hundred dollars worth of veggie burgers and stuff like that, enough to fill up the whole back seat of my car. It was enough to get me through almost a year back at home.

The second stop I made was at the strip mall just down the road, and didn't let myself think about it when I purchased the small object that I slipped into the pocket of my purse. I sighed and walked back to my car, mind racing as I set the purse on the seat next to me.

I drove as fast as I could, trying to get back home before the hot sun started to burn my skin. I parked my car on the side of the road about a mile away from the house, hoping that I'd be able to find Thomas before having to answer to Momma or Hoyt.

I made my way to the house, snuck around the back careful not to be seen by anyone inside, and banged as loud as I could on the brown wooden doors leading to the basement. I waited, standing there for five minutes before banging again. This time I could hear the footsteps coming toward me, but they were coming from behind me.

I turned and saw him, but he hadn't seen me yet. I let out an excited squeal and raced toward him, rapping my arms around him as soon as I had got close to him. He was tense, looking down at me like I was some stranger. I smiled up at him, and he eased up, wrapping his arms around me.

"I couldn't stay away," I said reaching up and placing my lips gently up against his, "I needed you Thomas." We stood like that, holding each other close, for a long time. It was my idea to move, and with a discontented sigh I pulled away from him, "We've got to go see Luda Mae and Hoyt, they can't get rid of me this time."

Thomas walked in front of me, keeping his body in between me and whatever else might cause me harm. We entered the house, and came across Mamma and Hoyt sitting at the kitchen table, drinking tea and coffee respectively.

They looked up as we entered the door, large grins spread across their faces. "Oh Rose, I knew you would come back!" Luda Mae said standing to pull me into a hug, "Hoyt didn't, of course, he thought you were gone for good."

I was confused, but it didn't take very long to figure out that the whole thing was a set up. The saying went something along the lines of 'if you love something, set it free' and that's exactly what they had done, trying to see if I would come back to Thomas.

I moved back and wrapped myself around Thomas' arm, "Hey babe? Will you come with me to get my car? There's some stuff I need in it." With his nod, we set off down the road to gather my car and move all my stuff into the house.

It didn't take too long for us to get my bags hauled up to our room, or my food tucked away safely in the freezer, and when the work was done it was time to simply be. After almost twenty four hours away from each other Thomas and I just wanted to touch each other, make sure this was real.

It was almost dinner time when I removed myself from his lap and reached over to my purse, removing the little box from the place where I had hidden it away earlier that morning. I was aware that all eyes were on me, but I wasn't sure I really cared at this point.

I sat on my knees in front of Thomas, biting my lip before I looked up at him with a hopeful smile, "Thomas? I love you with all my heart and I want to give you a present. If you take this present, then you'll be mine forever. If you don't want it, I understand."

"She's proposing!" the excited voice of Luda Mae said behind me, I didn't care about that; I was waiting for an answer. I opened the little box and took out the ring, holding it in my hand, nerves taking over my body until I was shaking.

Thomas' confused face looked down at me as he pulled me up off the floor. He pressed his lips to mine then pulled away and nodded. I wasn't sure if he really understood what was going on, but I'm sure he liked the idea of me being around forever.

The ring in my hand was slipped onto his finger, the gold band shining against his dirty skin for everyone in the room to admire. It was Hoyt who broke the awed silence with a laugh, "I thought it was suppose to be the guy that did that, Rosalinda."

"Yeah, well, I didn't think that Thomas would ever do that," I said giving the man in question a kiss on the palm of his hand, "so I took matters into my own hands."

Thomas looked down at me, and then gently pushed me off his lap. I was shocked when he got up and left the room, leaving me to talk to the new in laws by myself. I was kind of getting creeped out by Luda Mae's smile, and Hoyts maniacal laughter. Monty didn't even look at me as he rolled out of the room, probably tired of all this romantic nonsense.

"Do you need some help in the kitchen Luda Mae?" I asked when she finally stood up to go make dinner. A loud thump came from downstairs that caused me to jump before following her to the kitchen to help cook.

I had just finished cooking my favorite veggie nuggets when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see Thomas looking down at me, his hand outstretched, a small blood-stained velvet box resting on his palm.

I took it and opened it hesitantly, not knowing what I might find inside. It was a ring, with a small diamond situated between two smaller green stones. I looked up at him and slipped it on my finger, surprised to see it fit perfectly. "Now I belong to you too," I said and reached up to press my lips to his.

His tongue entered my mouth hesitantly, it seemed that Luda Mae or Hoyt had told him what I was doing yesterday, and he wanted to try it himself. Though it was a bit clumsy, it was the best kiss I had ever gotten, and I kissed him back with just as much passion.

This was the beginning of the rest of our lives, and the future looked bright. We all sat down at the table, in our usual spots, the first night as a complete family.

_**AN: Hiya all! This is most likely the last chapter of this fic, unless some stroke of genius comes at some point in time, I'm officially calling it over and done with. Any requests for another fic of any sort, send me a message.**_


	5. Epilogue

"Mommy! Mommy, Grandpa Hoyt is being mean!" I rolled my eyes and picked up the small girl, tugging lightly on her pigtails, trying to stop her tears.

"Uncle Hoyt's being mean?" I asked hugging my daughter to my chest, "Well, Mommy will go talk to him, go outside and play. I'll go see if Daddy will play with you, ok?" I set her down and she ran out the front door, toward the swing Hoyt had set up at the beginning of the summer.

I smiled as I watched her go, brown pigtails bouncing as she ran across the front yard and crawled onto the swing. My beautiful daughter reminded me much of myself, but at times you could see glimpses of her father in the way she acted.

I turned back into the house, determined to go have a word with "Grandpa Hoyt" about making my baby cry, he did it to get a reaction out of me, and it was starting to get on my last nerve. "Hoyt!" I called stomping into the kitchen and standing in front of him while he gave me a cocky smile, "You have to stop picking on Cissy; she hates it when you do that. Hell, I hate it when you do that."

"Sugar, just because you and that boy spawned a wimp of a girl doesn't mean I am picking on her," He responded standing and leering over me in a way that I've grown accustomed to over the past six years.

"Aww, Hoyt, you know that you love Cissy," I said with a little shrug, "and if you made her cry less she would love you more." I stood and made my way out of the kitchen and down the steps to the basement. This was the one room in the whole house that I was still frightened of, but if I stayed at the foot of the stairs it didn't bother me too bad.

"Thomas, your daughter needs a push on the swing," I called out into the darkness, "and I think I need a kiss while you're at it." It only took a few seconds for him to emerge from the shadows and made his way over to me.

His arms slinked around me and he lowered his mouth to mine, we kissed slowly pulling each other closer before breaking apart. I rested my head on his chest and sighed happily, I pulled away and pushed him toward the stairs, "Our daughter? She wants to play with Daddy; Grandpa Hoyt made her cry again."

He reluctantly moved away from me and made his way up the stairs, I followed close behind, hoping I would get to watch them together and Luda Mae wouldn't need my help with cleaning or cooking.

A loud scream sounded from somewhere inside the barn as I sat down on the front steps, Hoyt must be playing with the girls we found hitchhiking on the road yesterday. Thomas made his way over to the swing, a giggling Cissy ran up to him wrapping her tiny arms around one of his large legs.

"Daddy!" She squealed with laughter and he picked her up, swinging her around in the air. Her giggles rang in my ears as he sat her down. They began playing on the swing, both of them laughing by now. It was an amazing sight, father and daughter.

"Rose!" I heard my name called from inside. I stood and walked into the kitchen, catching glimpses of the two out the window as I helped Luda Mae chop the vegetables in the kitchen. I watched as she dumped half of them into a cooking pot, the other half were left out for me and my daughter.

Dinner was done quickly, and I went out to gather the family. Cissy bounded into the kitchen and gave her grandmother a hug before crawling up on the stack of phone books that were placed in her chair. She giggled a bit and clapped as Monty and Hoyt entered the room, squealing their names with a huge grin.

Dinner passed with minimal mess, Cissy did her usual begging for someone to feed her and ended up throwing her carrots up against the wall. But other than that, everyone seemed to be content to just eat.

Cissy demanded Daddy put her to bed that night, a ritual that was usually Grandma's job. Luda Mae shrugged and Thomas picked up the little girl, being extra careful as he walked up the stairs. He walked into the bright purple room, a color Cissy demanded when we asked her what color she wanted.

Thomas sat down on the rickety old chair across from her bed and began to rock her, back and forth until her breathing evened out and her grip on his finger loosened. I watched from the doorway, awed by the gentle side of Thomas that he only shows his family.

Our eyes connected, and he stood and walked across the floor to put Cissy in her bed. We both looked at her for a few seconds before I laced my fingers in his. "Hey Love, you're so good with our baby," I said with a smile, pulling him out of the room so I could have him to myself for the rest of the night.

He smiled and nodded, wrapping an arm around my waist and leading me down the hall to our bedroom. This was life, this was love, this was us.

_**AN: Ok, a lot of people wanted this… so I gave into the demand and wrote it. I hope it lives up to the expectations, Thomas kind of turned into a bowl of mush.**_


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